Putting Things Right

We want to make it up to the club and to the fans to try and get back in the Premier League"

Kevin Doyle

Kevin Doyle prepares to lead the line in another tough test against Crystal Palace tonight (7.45pm) confident Wolves have managed to shake off their relegation hangover.

The talismanic striker has previously undergone the disappointment of relegation with Reading, so knew what to expect when suffering the experience for a second time with Wolves back in May.

But he has been in impressive form at the start of the campaign, helping Wolves to four successive wins which sets things up nicely against an in-form Palace side who have taken 13 points from their last five outings.

“There have been a lot of changes but we have still got the bulk of the team who have been promoted before and played in the Premier League for a few years,” says Doyle.

“So it shouldn’t surprise people that we are up there at the moment because we would want to get promoted although there is a very long way to go.

“It is never easy coming back after being relegated.

“You see the fixtures having been in the Premier League and you know it is going to be tough, but you have to get going again.

“It was a tough last season for everyone.

“There are different expectations now and it’s great to be fighting for something at the top end of the league.”

Doyle continues: “I said to the lads that the first month or two are the worst but after that you get into it.

“We’ve got a few wins, and are playing for a very good club in a very good league.

“It is certainly different being at the top of the league and hopefully fighting for promotion rather than in the Premier League looking over your shoulders all the time.

“We’ve only lost maybe three players from last season and everyone here is looking to put right what was a very poor year for us all.

“We want to make it up to the club and to the fans and have got the bit between our teeth to try and get back in the Premier League.

“All of us have been in the doldrums for a while so we’ve been enjoying these victories.

“But we know it’s another tough game tonight against a Palace team who are on a good run and have exciting players.”

The big positive from the recent run is that while Wolves have found a solid foundation to their game in the league – three consecutive clean sheets and only one goal conceded in the last four – there remains the suspicion there could be more to come going forward.

Doyle acknowledges they have not been at their best in all of the victories, but that a key part of a successful Championship team is the ability to grind out results on those occasions.

He adds: “We haven’t played fantastically in all the games - we have been solid and got good results away from home.

“That is the league we are in – everyone can beat everyone – and it is so close as you can see from the results at the weekend.

“It is a very difficult division but when you get a run going you can get into a situation when you feel you can win a lot of games.

“We got a clean sheet on Saturday, and got a goal from a set piece.

“If we can keep clean sheets like we have been doing it makes it a lot easier.

“Saturday’s goal was a set piece and it is important for everyone to contribute with goals.

“We were at home and won the game which is the most important.

“That is the way you have to do it.

“I’ve been at Reading when we were promoted and you know you are not going to play well every week.

“If you can get results when you don’t that is crucial.”

But Doyle also knows that if Wolves can hit the heights at Molineux, then they will be tough opposition even against a Palace side who arrive in confident mood this evening.

“We have some momentum but it is a relentless league and if you win on Saturday you don’t have much time to enjoy it before a Tuesday game comes around,” Doyle concludes.

“It is such a tough league and so competitive and we’re against a team who have been doing very well.

“But if we can play well at home I think it gives us a very good chance whoever we are playing against.”